It's not just football season, and it's not just hunting season.  It's also "rattlesnake season."  State wildlife experts say the Fall, with its cool weather, is the favorite time of year for the venomous and deadly Texas rattlesnake, and that means you need to be very careful in areas where they live and breed.

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After a long, hot and dry summer in which many snakes went into summer hibernation, rattle snakes are waking up and coming out of their lairs because of the cooler temperatures and recent rains.

The reptiles are taking advantage of the more comfortable weather to hunt hard, feed heavily and search out good hibernation spots in anticipation of coming winter.

This is happening at the same time outdoor human activity is on the upswing.  It's deer hunting season, and more than a million Texas hunters are out tromping through the wild.  People are taking advantage of the cooler weather to go hiking, camping, and fishing.

This means encounters with venomous snakes are almost certain for anyone who spends any amount of time outdoors.  That's why it's important to know how to recognize and understand the bad snakes, and what you should do and NOT DO if you run into one.

They are out there, and they really will get you if you don't watch out for them.

Why is this important?  Most hunting leases, fishing spots and hiking trails are many miles from the nearest doctor or hospital. That's why getting bitten by a poisonous snake while hunting or fishing could be fatal. You really could die on the way to the ER.

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